An Unexpected Solace
by K.A. Anderson
Summary: After the Final Battle, Hermione finds herself estranged from the Weasleys when she ends her doomed relationship with Ron. Taking up residence at Hogwarts over the summer before her 7th (well, 8th) year, she is asked to make reparations on the ground with none other than Remus Lupin. Neither of them realize how beneficial they will be to one another.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

If there was anyone who knew about the importance of life, it was Hermione Granger. Being the best friend of the most targeted wizard in Britain for almost eight years will do that to a person. Sometime throughout the course of her numerous death-defying experiences, she had learned to appreciate the little things and live each moment as if it were her last. And, living through times like the ones that the wizarding world had just endured, that was an extremely important thing.

The war had come to an unofficial end by the middle of May. Lord Voldemort had been defeated, finally, by Harry Potter. While this _was_ a cause for celebration, almost no one in the British wizarding community could find the spirit within themselves to feel happy. Funerals for loved ones were planned, and later attended by all those who had had the pleasure of knowing the deceased in their glory days. Hermione had attended so many ceremonies and services that she had lost count; even more so for Harry, who had received countless letters from people he had never met before pleading for his presence at the memorial service of their loved one. Hermione felt very bad for him; he clearly did not want to attend these funerals, but didn't have the heart within himself to say no.

While they did attend some services for people they had never met or had never heard of before, the Golden Trio did their fair share of mourning.

The hardest to attend had been that of Fred Weasley. Hermione could still picture his gaunt face, the ghost of his last laugh still etched on his features. The proceedings were exactly as the family wanted, but Hermione kept her thoughts to herself. While she thought the service had been beautiful and heartbreaking, she thought that it lacked the spirit that Fred had brought into everyone's lives. She thought it had been too sad for his lively ways, and she would never forget the devastating cry of Molly Weasley as her son was lowered into the ground, or the crack in George's voice as he attempted to deliver a eulogy that would do justice to his twin's unique character. The worst part of the day had been the moment when her and Harry found themselves having to console Ron as he broke down into lifeless sobs over the cruel loss of one of his favourite brothers.

After Fred's funeral, the list grew longer and longer. Flashes of shuddered memories flitted through Hermione's mind on particularly bad days. The blank expression on Dennis Creevey's face as his enigmatic brother was put to rest – the service held in memory of the brave man that was Severus Snape, cruelly attended by barely anyone – the dead weep emitted from Andromeda Tonks as she mourned the second death in her family in less than a year – the list was never-ending. And neither were the memories.

Even when the worst of the times were over and the grieving had been transformed into stony-faced silence, the horror still continued. Furious Death Eaters began to concoct plans to seek revenge on Harry and anyone who had helped him to defeat Voldemort, but luckily the Aurors discovered their new headquarters fairly quickly and chucked them all in Azkaban with no trial and a life sentence.

When the threat of the Death Eaters was not quite present, another loomed overhead. Sometimes, loneliness was a much more poignant threat than the one of no more life. With so many people gone and families rallying together to beat their grief, it was easy to feel isolated and alone. In the month after the war, Hermione had decided that Ron was simply not the person for her and she told him that. She felt bad for rejecting him so soon after his brother's death, but she wasn't about to risk her own happiness while he spent months searching for his. Since then, things had been strained and she found herself unable to seek solace in the family she had embraced for so many years. Ron ignored her, quite understandably, but she found herself missing the company of Ginny and Mrs. Weasley despite their dreary attitudes as of late.

Even her relationship with Harry seemed a bit strained. He was living at the Burrow, so obviously things would be awkward in that regard, but something about their friendship had changed that she couldn't quite put her finger on. They were still quite close, but he seemed distant, as if he were trying to shield or protect himself from her. This caused Hermione an unexpected amount of pain; she told Harry everything and was always there for him, why was he acting like this? She simply couldn't understand what she had done.

So life moved on. Since she had no place to live, Hermione spent the summer at Hogwarts, helping to repair and rebuild the damage done during the final battle. She took up her old room in Gryffindor Tower, but the changes that had taken place were blindingly obvious. She was all alone. There was no babble of Lavender gossiping to Parvati about some romantic interlude her eyes had bore witness to earlier in the day – no voices wafting up the stairs from the common room. Silence greeted her in every direction, and she had never felt more alone.

Of course, Hermione wasn't the only one at the castle. Every remaining teacher who usually spent their summer elsewhere stayed behind to oversee and aid with the reparations. Every day, groups of volunteers and helpers drifted in and out and here and there, slowly returning the ancient castle to its former splendor. Hermione helped with a different part of the building every day, never finding a place to remain for more than a few hours at a time.

One day in mid-June, she found herself being called to the headmistress's office. As she offered the password to the gargoyles and stood on the staircase as it winded itself up, she wondered what McGonagall could want with her. She hadn't spoken a word to her mentor since moving back into the castle, finding that she had absolutely nothing to say.

She knocked on the majestic door and let herself in when she heard acceptance for her entrance.

"Ah, Hermione! Come in, sit down, my dear."

Hermione forced a smile and sat herself down in one of the stiff-backed chairs facing McGonagall's desk. The teacher looked at her expectantly, but she remained silent.

"Is there a reason you asked me here today, Professor?" She found herself asking. Her tone came out much ruder than she had wished, and she flinched inwardly.

McGonagall looked slightly taken aback but responded nonetheless. "Two reasons, actually, my dear."

Hermione waited for the older woman to elaborate, but she didn't. She simply stared at the young witch with a calculating look, as if trying to determine the best manner to say what she wanted to say.

"I find myself growing more concerned about you by the day, Miss Granger."

"Concerned, Professor?" was her response.

"You drift about the castle in a nearly unconscious state. I haven't seen you in the company of Misters Potter and Weasley in weeks, and I puzzle myself to wonder why you are spending all of your time here when you could be spending it at the Burrow or even Grimmauld Place. Even more worrisome is the fact that you almost never talk to anyone, and I never see your face buried in a book like I am accustomed to. If I didn't know better, I would say you were depressed, judging on your lack of spirit and motivation. You are not the same Hermione Granger I am used to. What is going on?" McGonagall finished exasperatedly. She had barely taken a breath during her little speech and seemed to be scared and eager to hear an answer.

Hermione paused before answering. "What can I say, Professor? War changes people and friendships. Ron and I had a failed romantic relationship. I feel it would be rude of me to barge into the Weasley's house and ask for solace and support. Harry is living with them so I never see him, and whenever I do he is strained and distant. Obviously throughout the course of the war I gained a personality that pushes people away, so I'm just trying to go with it," and on a last minute thought, she added, "and I simply don't have the yearning to read at the moment. I have other things on my mind."

Her professor looked disturbed at her proclamation.

"I'm going to advise – no, correct that – demand that you go see Madam Pomfrey for a check up and perhaps some Cheering Potions, because the girl who just responded to my question is not the Hermione Granger that I know and admire." Minerva McGonagall's firm voice said.

Hermione felt slightly affronted. Couldn't people change? She thought bitterly.

"The second thing I wanted to speak to you about is a matter of greatest importance. The reparations on the castle are coming along at a glorious pace, but the grounds still find themselves war-torn and full of destruction. I was wondering if you could be responsible for repairing the damage done to our beautiful landscape a month and a half ago. I know this is asking a great deal from you-" she said as Hermione's mouth opened to protest. "-but know that you would not be alone. I have selected a wizard of greatest ability to aid you in this task. I wish I could offer you more assistance but we need every extra set of hands we can get here at the castle. We barely have enough help as it is, but I want to ensure that everything is as it used to be when term begins on the first of September."

Hermione thought about this for a moment and then agreed. What else did she have to do? At least this way, she could have a bit of solitude. It felt weird thinking about it in that way, but the more she thought about it, the less company she wanted.

"I'll do it, professor, but I can guarantee one thing. Nothing will be as it was before the war. Too many hearts have been broken and too many souls damaged."

"Once again you are right, Miss Granger. I only wish that this time you were wrong." McGonagall responded in a grim voice.

Hermione simply nodded and left.

Hermione woke early the next morning. She quickly got dressed and made her way down to the common room, even though it was much too early for breakfast. She sat on a squashy armchair for nearly an hour, not thinking about anything in particular. It was something she had to her advantage. Hermione had set out to become an Occlumens when she had realized the importance of mental privacy in her fifth year. Because of that, she found the task of emptying her mind to be quite simple indeed. When one had a particularly full mind, it was even borderline enjoyable.

She was pulled out of her stupor by a light tapping on the window. Glancing over, she saw a handsome tawny owl looking at her expectantly. She walked over to the window and let the beautiful animal inside. Taking the letter, she stroked the owl's head and it leaned into her touch. Hermione giggled at the simple innocence of the bird. In shock, she realized it was one of the first times she had laughed in months.

It was a letter from McGonagall, and it told her to meet the wizard who was going to be helping her down by the Black Lake in thirty minutes time. This made her go down to the kitchens for breakfast. She didn't really feel like being around anyone at the moment.

The house elves were still quite apprehensive of Hermione because of her offensive (to them, at least) treatment of them in the past. Nevertheless, they served her breakfast with their cheery elfish smiles and then went about their work.

The young Gryffindor found herself alone when she got down to the lake. Sitting down on the grassy slope, she gazed out onto the depths of the black water. Everything was silent; not even the ripple of a fish disturbed the perfect, flat top of the wide expanse of water. The giant squid appeared to be dormant beneath the surface. However, the quiet didn't last for too long. She heard muffled footsteps behind her and the murmur of a confused voice that she knew all too well.

"Hermione?" Her helper asked in a befuddled tone.

She stood up and took a good look at him. The war had changed him nearly as much as it had changed her. Hermione could tell that he wasn't getting much sleep based on the dark circles around the bottoms of his eyes. But then again, thought Hermione, he always had circles around his eyes. His robes were even shabbier than before, not to mention looking way too big for him. Fresh scars had joined the old ones on his tired-looking face, but somehow he still managed to be ruggedly handsome.

"Hello, Remus." She said, a small smile on her face.

He responded with a shy, slightly joyful smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Hermione was going to be honest; the joy she felt that her nameless helper was actually Remus Lupin was huge. She actually liked him very much, and had harbored a secret crush on him since her third year. She had never exactly been able to figure out why; perhaps it was the fact that he was highly intellectual, like her, and she would be able to have stimulating conversations with him that weren't centered on Quidditch or some crude subject. She had always had a different taste in men, unlike other girls her age, and she knew that she tended to be quite taken with tortured souls. And Hermione, unlike so many people whom she had heard refer to him as ugly and foul, thought that he was absolutely stunning and devilishly sexy.

"So," Hermione broke the silence with an awkward word. "You're my grand helper."

"Yes, it would seem so," Remus responded teasingly, a true smile breaking out on his previously gaunt and mournful face.

"Want to sit down for a bit before we start?" asked Hermione hesitantly. It had been awhile since she had had a conversation that wasn't sad or riddled with tension.

Remus agreed, and they sat down side by side on the bank of the lake, under the shade of a large birch tree. The silence stretched on for several comfortable minutes, and was finally broken by Remus.

"So what have you been up to since the end of the war? How are Harry and Ron?"

Hermione was entirely honest with him; she had absolutely no reason to be untruthful. She basically told him the same story she told McGonagall, leaving out the part about the loneliness that consumed her nearly every day. When she came around to the part about Ron, he was unsurprised.

"No offense, Hermione, but I think that relationship was doomed from the start. You are more mature than him in every sense of the word. He is always obsessed with petty things, boy things. You have always been a woman inside a teen's body, and you two are definitely better off as friends, I think."

Hermione was filled with a strange happiness at his words. So far, she had only felt negative energy surrounding her decision to end things with Ron. It was refreshing to know that she wasn't the only one to think that they weren't a good match. There was one thing that was bothering her, though.

"It's been a little over two weeks since I ended things with him. I haven't heard anything from him or Harry. What if my decision had ruined our friendships?" She ended nearly in tears.

Remus was quick with a reassuring response. "It takes time, Hermione. He is probably bitter because everyone has expected you guys to get together for ages. The amount that you two can clash sometimes just as friends is perfect evidence that you are not meant for each other. There needs to be equality in a relationship, not constant rowing. As for Harry, well, he's just been through a terrible ordeal. But," He paused with a slightly bewildered look on his scruffy face. "I have to admit that his behaviour does confuse me a bit."

Hermione silently agreed with him; it confused her too, more than he could ever know. Remus went on.

"But trust me, Ron will come around eventually. Some people take longer than others to come to terms with rejection. Some never do." A sudden, dark look crossed his features.

Hermione nodded slightly, knowing that he was referencing to Tonks. The witch, who hadn't exactly been inconspicuous towards him with her affections, simply couldn't understand why he constantly rejected her. Remus was always extremely nice about it, as the last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt anyone. But, after countless times of telling someone no, even the most patient of people can grow a bit cross. Hermione was unaware of the specifics, but knew that there had been some sort of row between the two shortly before Bill and Fleur's wedding the previous summer. Tonks finally understood that no meant no, and blatantly refused to speak to Remus after that. While Hermione could understand that the witch had been upset, she couldn't help but think that her actions were rather childish.

While Tonks hadn't been able to see why Remus rejected her, Hermione sort of could. Tonks was an enigmatic, energetic spirit. Not that Remus was boring, but their personalities could not have been more different. Remus was sort of dark and brooding; quiet and yet oddly compelling. Just like her and Ron, Remus and Tonks, while both wonderful people by themselves, would not have made a good couple.

Hermione made her thoughts quite clear to her old professor. She could tell that the matter had been bothering him for awhile.

Remus smiled thankfully at her, but his face held a hint of some suppressed emotion.

"What is it, Remus?" Hermione asked, wanting him to get whatever was bothering him off his chest.

He hesitated. Hermione could tell that he was debating on what to say. "It took me awhile to get over the guilt of hurting her, but eventually I did. When she died and I went to her funeral, simply out of respect I might add, people looked at me like I had no right to be there. Some of them stared at me almost accusingly, as if somehow I had been partly responsible-"

Hermione cut him off there. "Think what you want about yourself, Remus Lupin, but don't you ever think that you are responsible for her death. There is nothing further from the truth. She died because someone murdered her, not because you rejected her. Constantly, I might add."

Her companion looked at her through sad eyes. "I can't help it, Hermione. Somehow, I feel that if she and I had been together, if I had been there to protect her-" He cut himself off this time, not knowing what to say.

Hermione did the first thing that came to her mind. She leaned over and gave him the tightest hug she could muster. After a moment, his arms encircled her thin frame and returned the embrace with equal force. Sometime later, Hermione felt tear after tear hitting her face and putting stains in her shirt. She didn't care at all. She offered solace to Remus for as long as he needed it.

She didn't know why, but she wanted to help him get rid of his demons. He was already out casted by his monthly curse; he didn't need to be pushed aside further by the ignorance of other people. She wanted to make sure that he knew he wasn't alone.

With a shock, Hermione realized that maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought.

When Remus had put himself back together, he pulled away from the hug. A silence them permeated the air around them, but it was not awkward in the slightest. Hermione felt that something had just happened that had started a new friendship, one that she had never known she had needed.

After a few minutes, Remus broke the silence. "What do you say, should we get to work? We have a huge task ahead of ourselves."

With a small smile, Hermione agreed. Offering her a hand, Remus helped her off her feet and they went on their way. As they were walking, he spoke a few last words of reassurance.

"Never regret your decisions, Hermione. And most of all, know that one day, you'll find someone who is right for you."

As they reached the area of the grounds that surrounded the tomb of Dumbledore, Hermione couldn't help thinking that maybe she already had.

They worked in that area of the grounds all morning. Occasionally, Remus would ask Hermione what she thought about something that he had just done, and she would offer compliments in return. After all, she _was_ overseeing this operation; according to Remus, he was just the helper.

The area surrounding the tomb was not as badly damaged as some other parts of the grounds. It was quite obvious that when she had set out to repair the tomb, McGonagall had done a few other alterations. Hermione didn't mind at all. It would make their job far easier.

Before they knew it, the sun was directly overhead and it was time for lunch.

"Want to go in for some food?" asked Remus.

Hermione, who was seated on the ground repairing a section of badly scorched grass, agreed wholeheartedly. Remus came over and offered her his arm once more. Blushing at his kindness, Hermione smiled and offered mumbled thanks. Together, the unlikely pair made their way up to the castle to replenish their energy.

Looking through the window in her office, McGonagall was smiling to herself. Both of these wizards were lonely and tormented after a hard war with almost no one to turn to. Why not give them the chance to find solace in one another? The old romantic within her swooned.

It would be terribly difficult to achieve, but she made herself promise that she wouldn't urge them into anything. She believed in things happening at a natural pace and progressing as they might.

After lunch, Hermione and Remus returned to their work and cast spells for a few more hours. When they realized that they had missed dinner, they agreed to go down to the kitchens to eat. On their way there, Remus spoke the words that Hermione had been thinking. "Even though we only repaired a small section of the grounds today, it feels wonderful, doesn't it?"

Hermione smiled. He was right; although they had barely accomplished anything, she was filled with an odd sense of purpose and satisfaction.

"Yeah, I guess it does." And she offered him the first truly genuine smile of the day.

They ate a delicious meal of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and iced pumpkin juice. For dessert, that had some of Harry's favourite treacle pudding. This made Hermione's mod once again turn sad as her thoughts returned to her best friend.

"Don't worry, Hermione. He'll come around soon. And if he doesn't, I'll have a little chat with him." Remus offered her a dazzling wink.

After that, Hermione bade him goodnight with a smile and a light kiss on his cheek. Laughing inwardly at the dumbstruck look on his face, she made her way up to Gryffindor Tower. She gave the password to the Fat Lady and went up to bed. As she crawled beneath the covers, Hermione realized that something was different. And then she realized what: the soul-gripping loneliness wasn't present tonight. She smiled and slipped into dreams of her peaceful childhood.

In a separate part of the castle in temporary living quarters, Remus Lupin was thinking exactly the same thing.


End file.
